Division Day

Though the members of Division Day cite noise-rock auteurs Unwound and Drive Like Jehu as influences, their music has more in common with the atmospheric inclinations of acts such as Boards of Canada and Smog. Singer Rohner Segnitz's voice carries a hint of Travis Morrison's plaintive expressiveness, and Division Day (appearing at the hi-dive this Thursday with Joshua Novak, Peter Walker and Fiance) has become known for unexpectedly enthusiastic and stirring live performances that recall Dismemberment Plan, Morrison's former band. On its latest effort, Beartrap Island, the group creates layer after layer of pretty, ethereal sounds that float thoughtfully between edgier tones and assured, insistent rhythms, while the guitars teeter between shoegaze driftiness and latter-day indie rock's wheedly minimalism. Engineered at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studio, Island also finds the band incorporating hypnotic keyboard treatments on songs such as "Colorguard," adding depth to music known for its earnest simplicity.

Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician who grew up three blocks from Denver in Aurora, Colorado.